Guess who’s back, back again

With so much going on both in the world and at work it seemed right to take a breather from my newsletter for a while. Well, dear reader(s), imagine my amazement to find out that one of you not only read it but got in touch to say they missed it and actually wanted more!

The comeback cat

My next assumption to hit the dust was that felines don’t like water. Until I read the story of missing Scottish prison cat, One-eyed Joe (honest, I’m not making this up) who last week was discovered living it large on a North Sea oil rig.?No one has any idea how he got there but the message to my Oil & Gas colleagues is: please check your sheds, I mean rigs (!) for missing cats.

I never realised

On a more serious note, the need to test our assumptions and challenge the status quo has never been so important. That was the starting point for a fascinating new EY programme, Innovation Realized. Launched last month, it is designed to unlock creative collaboration and unexpected ideas by focusing on the intersection of strategy, technology and transformation. Find out more in this video. (warning: contains bean bags).

Being human

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that we all need to be more human - and this is reflected in the latest Future Consumer Index, which reveals that moving forwards we won’t be wasting time and money on things that we no longer value, putting experiences above products and looking for meaning in everything from work to leisure. It also tells us that consumers are now 30% more likely to buy second-hand products. So, it could be time to dig out that old Scalextric racing set from the Morris family loft.

Golden years

On a similar theme is an article from our recently acquired people advisory consultancy, EY LaneFour, which is led by none other than Olympic Gold medal-winning swimmer Adrian Moorhouse. The piece lays out the importance of not only making it clear that leaders prioritise the well-being of their teams but that they also pay close attention to their?own health and balance.

And is it a coincidence that Adrian, like me, maintains a follicle-free head? Purely for aerodynamic, performance-enhancing purposes, of course.

Always believing

When I was a youngster, it took me a while to realise that skills were about more than how many ‘keepie uppies’ you could do with a football (well into single figures before you ask).

Fortunately, I’m surrounded by brilliant people like Joise Cluer, who represents EY on the National Skills Taskforce, of which we are a founder member. The organisation’s recent report highlights the link between foreign direct investment (FDI) and workforces with the right skills to attract investors. And it calls on the UK Department for International Trade to do more to address this issue.

A lot of love and application

Talking of great skillsets, it’s time for a shout out to the 50 or so UK&I individuals and project teams that hit the deadline for the coveted Management Consultancy Awards (MCA). As a firm we have an amazing record for not only getting through to the finals but bagging the big wins. No pressure then! But seriously, it’s notable this year how many of the entries were focused on societal as well as commercial impact. I also know how much of an effort it is to get those entries over the line so thanks for your hard work as well as undoubted talent. Fingers crossed for?May 23, when the finalists’ short list is revealed.

Don’t mess with the condimentals

I don’t know why everyone wants to disrupt the Status Quo (next performing at the Vibes Festival in Viborg, Denmark on the 10th June)? But now Heinz are at it as well. Ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, they are redesigning their labels. So, instead of HP Sauce and Salad Cream it is "HM Sauce" and "Salad Queen". As Frank Bruno used to say: “Frankly I’m not HP.”

And finally

With so much content to keep abreast of, it’s hardly surprising that we’re more connected than ever to our mobile devices. So we can all feel?some sympathy for an American woman who had to be rescued after trying to retrieve the phone she accidentally dropped down a mountaintop toilet. Apparently, she used her dog’s lead to attempt some sort of abseil into the aptly named ‘drop through’ lavatory, before getting stuck (think Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there about digital detox but I’ll leave you to work it out.

More mixed metaphors here